Methods and Technical Key Points for the Prevention and Control of Pests and Diseases in Water Chestnut
Water chestnut is a common fruit and vegetable in daily life. It can be eaten raw as a fruit, or stir-fried or used in soup as a vegetable. It is rich in nutrients and has excellent dietary therapeutic effects, and is deeply loved by young and old alike. It is grown in all major regions of our country. However, what troubles growers is pests and diseases, which seriously affect the yield and quality of water chestnut and reduce the economic returns of growers. So what pests and diseases harm water chestnut, and how should they be prevented and controlled? Let's take a look together below with Qinnongwang.
1. Pathogenic diseases
The main pathogenic diseases of water chestnut are water chestnut stem blight, water chestnut wilt, and water chestnut corm rot. These three diseases generally break out in full force from September to October, and plants may also be infected by multiple diseases at the same time. Water chestnut stem blight, also called water chestnut plague, causes the plant to fail to form corms or to form small corms after infection, affecting yield, and in severe cases may result in total crop failure. When the disease occurs, water-soaked lesions appear on the stems. As the disease develops, the lesions expand, and eventually the stems wither and lodge. Water chestnut wilt is similar to water chestnut stem blight. When the disease occurs, gray blighted spots with depressions appear on the stems, and the lesions expand and merge. The harm to planting is relatively small, and the plant can still grow and develop normally. When water chestnut corm rot occurs, the corms also turn yellow and withered, the plant stems are short and thin, and dark gray lesions appear. As the disease develops, the tissue at the lesions becomes soft and easily broken, and when humidity is relatively high, the diseased area rots.
Prevention and control methods: Pathogenic diseases should focus on prevention. In the early stage, do a good job of soil disinfection and sterilization to reduce pathogens, increase the application of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers to improve plant disease resistance, and adopt crop rotation methods with reasonable rotation to reduce the severity of the disease. After disease is found, prevent and control it promptly. For stem blight and wilt, 50% carbendazim 600-fold solution can be sprayed together with other agents for prevention and control, while for corm rot, 40% quintozene powder 500-600-fold solution can be sprayed for prevention and control.
2. Physiological diseases
The main physiological disease is the red tail phenomenon. When it occurs, the symptoms are red tails without seedling death, or the top internode of the stem becomes withered. The main causes are crop rotation and the soil lacking trace elements such as boron, zinc, and iron.
Prevention and control methods: Use reasonable crop rotation. When fertilizing, add 2 kg each of borax and zinc sulfate, which can prevent the occurrence of this disease. After it occurs, potassium dihydrogen phosphate can be diluted with water and sprayed as a foliar fertilizer, with excellent results.
3. Insect pests
Water chestnut has relatively few insect pests. The main pest is the white stem borer. The white stem borer generally damages water chestnut with the third and fourth generation larvae. The larvae bore and feed inside the diseased stems, causing the prevention and water transport of water chestnut to be blocked, and finally leading to stem rot, causing reduced yield and lower quality.
Prevention and control methods: In winter, irrigate the rice fields to drown the overwintering borers and reduce the source of insects. During the peak period of pest occurrence, insecticide can be used for prevention and control. Be careful to use the appropriate dosage and concentration so as not to harm the growth of water chestnut. Its natural enemies, Trichogramma and red ants, can also be used for prevention and control.
The above are the methods for the prevention and control of pests and diseases in water chestnut brought to you by Qinnongwang. We hope it can help you. To learn more about water chestnut cultivation knowledge, please stay tuned to Qinnongwang.